


Flash Forward

by BunniesofDoom



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Crying, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Post-Volume 2 (RWBY), Pre-Volume 3 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28760073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunniesofDoom/pseuds/BunniesofDoom
Summary: "It felt so real."
Relationships: Blake Belladonna & Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna & Ruby Rose & Weiss Schnee & Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose & Team RWBY, Ruby Rose & Weiss Schnee, Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 1
Kudos: 40





	Flash Forward

**Author's Note:**

> This is set between volumes 2 and 3, right before the tournament starts. Spoilers up to the end of volume 3. Content warnings for mentions of vomiting (very brief and not descriptive) and mentions of future canonical character death. Enjoy!

Nightmares are not exactly an uncommon occurrence in the dorm room of team RWBY. All of the girls have their own past traumas and experiences that they have to deal with, and those often made their way into late-night dreams. All of them have adjusted to occasionally waking up to muffled whimpers and sobs; they've all been learning when it's best to comfort their friends or when it's best to leave them alone. It's the routine that they've all fallen into. It's normal.

That sense of normalcy, of routine, is shattered late one night when Ruby sits bolt upright, screaming at the top of her lungs. Her cries wake all three of her teammates immediately, despite how exhausted they all are; it's only a week until the Vytal Festival Tournament begins, and they've all been training hard in order to be ready to compete. But Ruby's terrified screaming is impossible to sleep through.

"Ruby? What's going on?" Weiss asks sleepily.

Yang, who had basically shot out of her bunk the second she heard her sister, shakes Ruby's shoulders gently. "Hey, Rubes, it's okay. Wake up, it's just a bad dream." After a few more repetitions of this reassurance, interspersed with other soothing words, Ruby's cries begin to die down and she slowly opens her eyes. "See? There you go. It's okay. You're okay."

Ruby just stares blankly, slowly turning her head to peer at the three worried faces of her friends. The sudden silence is unnerving. "Ruby?" Blake asks tentatively. "Are you okay?"

The younger girl doesn't say anything, but her face pales further. Before Blake can say anything else, she claps a hand to her mouth and launches herself off the bunk, bolting in the direction of the bathroom. When Weiss cautiously follows her, she hears retching and finds Ruby collapsed on the floor next to the toilet. "Ruby? What happened?"

Ruby looks up slowly, wiping hastily at her mouth. Her eyes are wide and rimmed with red. Tears are still trickling down her cheeks. "Weiss?" she asks hoarsely. "You're here?"

Weiss crouches next to her partner, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She's confused and frightened by whatever is happening, but she doesn't let it show in her voice. "Of course I'm here. Where else would I be?"

"Weiss," Ruby says again, sounding urgent. She grips Weiss' forearm with surprising strength. "Don't let him take you away. I don't want to lose you."

"Nobody's taking me anywhere," Weiss reassures her, patting Ruby's shoulder with her free hand in a hopefully reassuring manner. "I'm right where I'm supposed to be."

". . . Right. Thanks Weiss." Her words do seem to get through to Ruby, who nods slightly, her gaze finally drifting over to the doorway where her sister and Blake are hovering nervously. "You're all here."

"Of course," Blake replies, as she and Yang crouch down next to Weiss.

"We're not going anywhere," her sister reassures her.

"But you did." Ruby shakes her head. "You all left me. I woke up and you were all gone."

"It was just a dream." Yang tries to soothe her. "None of that stuff was real. It was just a nightmare. I promise."

Ruby still looks skeptical, but either Yang managed to convince her or she's just too exhausted to argue, because she doesn't keep arguing, just nods slowly. "Right. Yeah. Okay."

"Great," Yang says, shifting to her knees and offering a hand to help Ruby to her feet. "Now that that's settled, why don't we get you back to bed?"

Ruby doesn't respond, instead staring in shock at her sister. "Ruby? What is it?"

"You—you didn't." She frowns, shakes her head. "You still have both your arms?"

"What?" Now it's Yang who's confused. "Of course I—what are you talking about?" When Ruby just stares blankly at her, she sighs. "I told you, Rubes, it was just a dream. I'm fine. We're all fine."

"Right. Yeah. Okay. I'm sorry, I just—" Ruby fumbles with her words, choking on a sob. Without warning, she launches herself at her sister, burying her face in Yang's chest. Yang hesitantly brings her arms up and wraps them around her sister as she starts to cry again.

"We need to warn people, everyone is in danger," Ruby mumbles brokenly, through her sobs. "Penny, Pyrrha, all of you guys."

"Ruby, it's not real," Weiss reminds her tiredly. "Everyone is fine."

"But it felt so real," Ruby protests. "I saw it all happen. I felt it."

"Sounds like it was just a really crappy nightmare," Yang soothes her sister, brushing Ruby's hair away from her forehead. But it's okay, it's gone now, and you're safe with us." Ruby nods into her shoulder, sniffling quietly. "Now, why don't we get you back to bed? I think we could all use some more sleep."

Ruby doesn't try to say anything more, just nods again. Yang hoists her sister into her arms and pushes herself to her feet. "You'll feel better in the morning," she promises her sister.

They all settle into Blake's bunk, since Ruby is reluctant to let any of them out of her sight. It's a tight fit for four girls, but none of them complain, too shaken by the events of the night.

"Here you go," Blake says passing a tissue to the still-sniffling Ruby. The other girl flinches slightly before accepting it. "What's wrong?"

"Promise me—" Ruby pauses to wipe at her eyes and blow her nose. "Promise me you won't leave. We all missed you so much."

Blake shifts uncomfortably. What exactly happened in Ruby's dream? "Don't worry," she reassures the younger girl. It was just a dream. I'm not going anywhere."

It's not a promise, but it seems to be good enough for Ruby. She drifts off, sandwiched in the middle of their little group, a peaceful expression on her face.

Blake doesn't like to make promises that she's not sure she can keep.

"So, what was that about?" Weiss whispers to the other two once they're sure that Ruby is asleep.

"I have no idea," Yang admits. "I've never seen her have a nightmare like that."

"Maybe she's sick?" Blake suggests.

"Maybe." Yang reaches over to feel her sister's forehead. "She doesn't feel warm, but she did throw up earlier. I don't know."

"Maybe it's just stress," Weiss says. It feels like a lame excuse, but it is possible. "She has been really focused on the tournament lately."

"Yeah, that could be it," Yang says, although she doesn't sound very convinced. "Well, whatever it is, we're not going to be able to help her by staying up all night worrying. Let's try to get some sleep, figure it out in the morning."

They wish each other goodnight, trying to settle down and get a few more hours of sleep before morning comes. But sleep doesn't come easy to any of them. Their minds are full of questions about what they just witnessed. What did Ruby see, exactly? What could cause a nightmare like that? How seriously should they take what she said?

It was just a dream, right?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you liked it.
> 
> I will confess that I've always been a huge fan of those fics where characters experience the events of the future through a dream and are horrified, so here's my own take on the idea.


End file.
